The Pont Mirabeau in Paris

Immortalized by Guillaume Apollinaire, the Pont Mirabeau is one of the most famous bridges in Paris. Entirely made of metal, it has one of the most beautiful viewpoints on the French capital.

“Under the Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine. And our loves must I remember them. Joy always followed pain” wrote Guillaume Apollinaire in his famous poem simply called “Le Pont Mirabeau”.

It’s the contemporary President of the Republic, Sadi Carnot, who makes the call to build the Pont Mirabeau in 1893. Engineers Jean Résal, Paul Rabel and Amédée Alby are entrusted with the task of thinking about this new Parisian bridge.

They create a beautiful work covering 173 meters (567.58 ft), entirely made of metal. Choosing such a material can appear bold for that time, but there’s a reason to everything. The idea was indeed to build a bridge with piers very close to the two banks in order to smooth the river traffic. Unable to create such a structure with stone, architects went for metal.

By the way, the Pont Mirabeau is the first metal bridge made of two symmetrical frameworks, that buttressing gives the structure its balance. A small architectural wonder. Résal and Alby will later use their knowledge in the matter to build the Pont Alexandre III.

The Pont Mirabeau, listed a historical monument in 1975, is lovingly adorned at the foot of each pillars with four allegories riding vessels, created by Jean-Antoine Injalbert and representing Commerce, Navigation, Abundance and the City of Paris.

To be discovered on a sunny summer day to enjoy the lovely panorama the bridge features!